This is the start of a long weekend, one that most people have come to equate with the start of Summer, BBQ's, sales at your favorite stores, lazy days at the lake or trips to the shore.
But it is so much more than all of that. Monday marks Memorial Day. Although we honor and respect our service members everyday, Memorial Day is the day traditionally set aside to remember and honor the fallen. The ones who never got to come home into the loving arms of their families. The ones that made the ultimate sacrifice in the quest to defend this Country and us.
A lot of people take for granted some great things about this Country. There's our freedoms and rights, but there are also the people that willingly step up to protect and fight for us. Unlike many other countries where men are forced to be their armies, The United States Armed Forces are formed of people who voluntarily and willingly join and sign a blank check on our behalf. And sometimes that check is made out for the price of a life. They join knowing that might be the price they will be asked to pay. The know that each time they step up in our place, they may never see their own families again. And they go anyway. Their blood was shed, their lives were given. For that they deserve our honor and respect.
From memorialday2014.net
Take some time to honor these heroes who gave all they had to give. Visit a cemetery and place an American Flag at the grave of a soldier. If you're having a picnic or get together, have each person tell about something they learned about this commemorative day, a story of their own service or the story of a family member that served.
We honor them by not forgetting. By telling their story. By being thankful for them. By showing our gratitude for them.
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